Update – Sail to Azores
Greetings from the Azores!
Our fifteen-day passage from Bermuda was full of exciting events! We began the voyage with an evening Coffee House. Performances ranged from sock-puppet theater to mystical magic tricks! Watch Two led morning Colours, Language Club hosted lessons on Japanese and Mandarin, and Photo Club awarded prizes to the best photos from Bermuda. Snowfall on April 1st brought classes, social events, and deck work to an immediate halt. No, not actual snow but a SNOW DAY with no class and no work, a day filled with April Fool’s pranks and time to relax together as a crew. Following our day off, the students had the opportunity to immerse themselves in the Oxfam program Feast or Famine. Feast or Famine is an activity to engage with world poverty. For both lunch and dinner, 50% of the crew ate only rice and another 35% ate only rice and beans, based on a lottery system, to reflect the percentages of the world population in low and middle income groups. As a follow up to this exercise, the students discussed what it means to be a global citizen in Discovery Class. In addition, many of the classes aboard took a multidisciplinary approach by integrating the concept of social responsibility in their curriculum. The students demonstrated their ability to have meaningful contemplation and shared various ideas about how to make the world a more responsible place. To top off an already incredible passage, the Captain came over the intercom on April 5 to announce a swim call! The entire crew rejoiced in unison, mustered on the main deck clad in their swimsuits, and dove into the surprisingly warm mid-Atlantic. We arrived in Ponta Delgada on the afternoon of April 6. During our time in the Azores we will be adventuring to see the Lagoa de Fogo and the famous botanical gardens and hot springs of Lagoa de Furnas.